Search by Pattern

This search mode is an extended version of the search by letters. A pattern is a series of known letters in known positions with wildcard characters in the positions where the letters are not known.

The special wildcard characters provide additional search capabilities:

• The character ? is used instead of one unknown letter.
  
  For example, for the pattern m?n the word list returned by Cross+A will be: man, men.
  
  
• The character * is used instead of few letters.
  
  For example, for the pattern m*n the word list will be: man, main, mean, maiden etc.
  
  
• The character @ is used instead of any vowel.
  
  For example, for the pattern @dd the word list will be: add, odd.
  
  
• The character $ is used instead of any consonant letter.
  
  For example, for the pattern $ap the word list will be: cap, lap, map, sap etc.
  
  
• The character & is used instead of few vowels.
  
  For example, for the pattern &r the word list will be: or, ear, our, year etc.
  
  
• The character # is used instead of few consonants.
  
  For example, for the pattern #een the word list will be: green, screen etc.
  
  
• The digits 0...9 are used instead of duplicate letters.
  
  For example, for the pattern ??1221 the word list will be: career, chilli, simoom etc.
  
  Use can find tautonyms, for example, for the pattern 12341234 the word list will be: beriberi, couscous etc.
  
  
• The character ! changes the meaning of next symbol on opposite.
  
  For example, for the pattern !111 the word list will be: add, all, fee etc.
  
  Character ! shouldn't be placed before symbols *, ?, & and #.

Wildcards can be inserted in any combination at any point in a search pattern. If there are few possible letters on the specific position in the word, these letters must be written in round brackets.

For example, (abcd)???(e$) finds: abase, agree, ahead, blood, blade etc.

This pattern can be written in other way: (a-d)???(e$). Dash between a and d means that letters from A to D can be used.

"Weight" of found words also can be considered in search process. User can define the precise "weight" value for word searching. Also user can define a set of unused letters that must be absent in found words.